Wheat Berry Salad with Sage

Wheat Berry Salad with Sage
serves 6

Here is a recipe for a lovely grain salad that combines flavors of almonds and apricots with honey, lime and sage. Its medieval charm goes perfectly with festive dinners. It travels well – surprise your friends and family by bringing it along. You can easily make it the day before – it keeps well in the refrigerator and tastes even better the following day, when the dried apricots have fully absorbed the dressing.

1 Bring the water to a boil. Add the soaked wheat berries, oil and salt. Bring to a second boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and simmer, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes. Cook only until the wheat berries are soft – remove from the heat before the berries open and lose their shape. Pour them into a sieve and rinse under cold water until cool. Place the sieve over a bowl to drain.

2 Submerge the soaked almonds in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then douse them in cold water. Remove the skins and break them into their halves.

3 Steam the carrots until tender. Rinse them in cold water and drain.

4 Transfer the cooked wheat berries and carrots and the blanched almonds into a large bowl and stir in the apricots and sage.

5 Combine the dressing ingredients in glass jar. There should be about three times as much lime juice as oil. Close the lid and shake to mix.

6 Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Let the salad marinate for at least 1 hour.

7 Just before serving, toss again and adjust lime juice and seasoning if necessary.